Chapter 574: Chapter 52: Chaos

“Is there a possibility that I might like you too?”

Gongsun Ce seemed petrified, frozen in place, not even moving his eyeballs. Qiluo sat back down on the chair and patted her reddened cheeks, “Is it really necessary to be that shocked?”

Gongsun Ce appeared to have completely cut off any interaction with the outside world, like a statue weathered by centuries of storms. His pose was more worrisome than funny.

Qiluo thought of something that would snap him out of it immediately.

The idol gently licked her lips, slightly shy, and said, “Do I need to kiss you as proof?”

“No no no no no no no no no!”

The gray statue instantly transformed into an awkward young man. Gongsun Ce clutched his chest, collapsed onto the chair, and gasped for breath before saying incredulously, “How could that be?!”

“Are you talking about me liking you?”

“That makes no sense!”

Gongsun Ce was almost going crazy. He racked his brains recalling his interactions with friends, puzzled, and said, “Qiluo, listen, I’ve always been careful not to become a disgusting man like Aorus, always maintaining distance, and at most helping out a little within my capacity. I never intended to take advantage of your feelings, so why would you say something like this?!”

Qiluo silently looked at him for a while, her voice carrying an unusual helplessness, “Gongsun Ce, didn’t you just point out the reason yourself?”

“Huh?” Gongsun Ce felt a headache coming, “How could that be?”

“A boy who shares my interests, who is nice to me without any ulterior motive. Why can’t I like him?” Qiluo said seriously.

Gongsun Ce’s brain went into overdrive, seeking reasons to object: “First of all, I’m just average-looking—”

“That’s only when compared to Shiyu Lianyi, but by general standards, Gongsun Ce, your features are quite handsome.”

Gongsun Ce immediately changed the angle: “And I’m not that smart!”

“I haven’t met anyone smarter than Gongsun Ce,” Qiluo said blankly.

“But our acquaintance hasn’t been that long!”

“Shiyu Ling only knew you 13 days longer than I did~”

At this, the idol shyly added, “Plus… actually, I’ve been noticing you for quite a while now.”

Gongsun Ce suddenly remembered a scene from a dream, a girl watching TV with busy adults, her eyes filled with anticipation and awe. That look was like a fan gazing at a pop star, which somewhat disconcerted him.

Gongsun Ce, guessing what was known, said, “Could it be, from that incident three years ago…”

“Yes! Gongsun Ce, who defeated so many strong enemies, you shone like the protagonist in an anime!” Qiluo said happily.

Wasn’t this supposed to be a moment where everyone joked about our childish past utterances! Why do you seem like a successful fan?!

How on earth could Mr. Gongsun say something like “looking back, I was just too childish back then”?

“When my memories were restored earlier, I was actually quite delighted,” Qiluo said joyfully, “to think I was saved by the ‘demon lord!’ Like this.”

Stop it! At this rate, Mr. Gongsun truly won’t find any reason to object!

Come on, think quick, Gongsun Ce, think of some other points…!

“Wait! Qiluo, you’re forgetting an important point!” Gongsun Ce had a moment of enlightenment, “I’m a disgusting otaku! You know it too, Mr. Gongsun, who collects everything from late-night anime and doujinshi to adult-oriented comics and games, could never be liked by anyone!”

Qiluo’s expression looked like she was watching a little kid throw a tantrum.

Twirling her pigtails and pouting, she said, “I’m an otaku too, Gongsun Ce.”

“Gah!”

The gray-haired youth let out a strange, duck-like squawk.

Speechless, out of counterarguments, if what he considered flaws didn’t matter to Qiluo, could her liking him be genuine? But, but…

“Listen calmly. I’m just not a man worth being liked—”

The idol sighed deeply.

“Gongsun Ce, you always complicate things unnecessarily. It’s like you need a long list to convince yourself before you can act on any thought. But many things aren’t that complicated!”

“Falling for someone never needs so many reasons.” Qiluo smiled slightly, pointing her fork towards the gray-haired youth across the table, “I liked you the moment we met, it’s that simple.”

Without a second thought, almost subconsciously, Gongsun Ce was prepared to refuse.

He couldn’t let such a wonderful girl waste her time and energy on him.

There were undoubtedly men worthy of her love in this world, and that man could definitely not be him.

With this thought, Gongsun Ce felt the entangled emotions in his heart clear up a lot. Why the struggle? He deeply reflected on himself. In the half-day since he woke from his dream, he even began pondering over matters of love, which was truly beyond what Gongsun Ce normally considered.

His friends were wrong. The issue wasn’t whether she liked him or whether he liked someone else, but that he, who only brought misfortune, never deserved to be loved.

Thus, the conclusion was simple. Gongsun Ce had to reject Qiluo’s affection, then he also had to make things clear with the young miss, maintain the current distance, and be a reliable friend, never establishing a risky relationship for selfish reasons.